This course examines the nature of both science and religion and attempts to explore the possible relationships between them. The primary purpose is to dispel the popular myth that science and religion are entrenched in a never-ending conflict. As a result, this course argues that if the limits of both science and religion are respected, then their relationship can be complementary.
Topics include: Science and Religion Categories and Foundational Principles, Definitions of Science and Religion, Science-Religion Models and Relationships, Intelligent Design and Natural Revelation, the Galileo Affair, Geology and Noah’s Flood, Evolution and Darwin’s Religious Beliefs, the Modern “Evolution” vs. “Creation” Debate, the Problem of Evil, and Interpretations of the Biblical Accounts of Origins in Genesis 1-11.
The course employs a Constructive Teaching Style in order that students can develop their personal views on the relationship between science and religion and on each of the topics listed above.
St. Joseph's College is a Catholic, undergraduate, liberal arts college on the University of Alberta campus. It is an independent institution that is affiliated with the University of Alberta.

Reviews

SL

Amazing information offered, more than what I could ask for at NO cost. Well instructed course with a wealth of knowledge to attain.

SA

May 11, 2020

Filled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled Star

Learned about religion and science and how one depends on other.

From the lesson

Modern Origins Debate

Every course on Science & Religion deals with the fascinating topic of the modern origins debate. The 5 most important views of the origin of the universe and life are presented in detail— Young Earth Creation, Progressive Creation, Evolutionary Creation, Deistic Evolution, and Dysteleological Evolution. The importance of scientific and historical concordism for each position is explained. We also explore the challenging topic of whether or not Adam was a real person in history by presenting the 4 best-known positions on human origins—De Novo Creation of Adam, Evolutionary Monogenism, Punctiliar Polygenism, and Gradual Polygenism. These different approaches to Adam are viewed in the light of the Apostle Paul’s letters in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15 and St. Augustine’s Doctrine of Original Sin.

Taught By

Denis Lamoureux

Transcript

Episode 188. Nearly every time I have a public lecture I'm always asked about human origins and the Apostle Paul. So let's deal directly with this topic. Because it often hold Christians back from considering evolution as God's creative method for making men and women. As we've seen earlier in quotes two to four, there are Biblical passages that clearly indicate Paul believed that Adam was a real person. That death entered the world because of Adam's sin and that the whole creation is in bondage to decay which refers to the the cosmic fall. Therefore, there is no doubt that Paul accepted a causal connection between the sin of Adam and the origin of death in the cosmic fall. But let me ask you some questions. First does Paul's belief in a historical Adam and a historical cosmic fall make both physical realities? To answer this question let me ask a second question. What else did Paul believe regarding the physical world? If you recall the section on categories and principles, we examined the Kenotic Hymn in Philippians 2 and discovered that Paul believed Jesus is Lord in heaven, on Earth, and in the underworld. In other words, Paul believed in the 3-tier universe. And this leads to a third question. Does Paul's belief in the 3-tier universe make it a physical reality? I'm certain you know that the answer is no. And I would argue that this is also the case with Paul's belief in Adam and the cosmic fall. His belief in Adam and the cosmic fall does not make them physical realities. Let me approach this issue of Paul and human origins using a consistency argument. As we've just seen with Philippians 2, Paul accepted ancient astronomy and ancient geography because he believed in a three tier universe. Therefore, consistency argues Paul also accepted ancient biology. First, he would have had an ancient view of the origin of life. And this appears with his belief in the de novo creation of Adam. Second, since Paul had an ancient view of the origin of life, He would also have had an ancient view of the origin of death. And we see this with his belief in the entrance of death into the world through Adam. To conclude, Paul's belief in the origin of death is based on ancient biology. Consequently, there is no causal connection between sin and the origin of death. And since there's no connection between sin and death there is also no cosmic fall. There is an important hermaneutical lesson to be learned by applying the message incident principle to the Kenotic Hymn in Philippians 2. Which we noted earlier in this course. We need to separate the message of faith that Jesus is Lord over the creation from the incidental ancient science of the three tier universe. To use my mantra, separate don't conflate. In the light of this hermeneutical lesson, can you see a way of applying the message incident principle to the Apostle Paul's passages on human origins? Try figuring this out on your own and we'll deal with it at the beginning of the next episode. End of episode.

Explore our Catalog

Join for free and get personalized recommendations, updates and offers.